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Assosa University
IRRIGATION ENGINEERING

Course code (CEng 5173)

Target group 5th year Civil and

Environmental Engineering
Instructor: Bekalu Z. (MS.c)
 CHAPTER-1. Introduction
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Definition
 Irrigation is the science of artificial
application of water to the land, in
accordance with the crop requirements
throughout the crop period for full
nourishment of the crops.
 It is application of water to soil
 to meet the crop water needs for its
vegetative development and for production.
 to supplement natural precipitation.

BY: Bekalu Z .
 Introduction……………….
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 The factors that necessitate irrigation,

 Inadequate rainfall
 Uneven distribution of Rainfall
 increasing the yield of the crops
 growing a number of crops
 insuring against drought
 Growing perennial crops.

BY: Bekalu Z.
 Introduction………………
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Need of irrigation
 for a continuous and reliable water supply to different

crops
 when water supply is not sufficient and timely

 crop yield reduced and

 consequently famines and disasters
 based on rainfall availability
 Irrigation can be supplementary irrigation or total

irrigation.
 Introduction………
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Needed in areas
 Arid and semi-arid regions
 The characteristics are low rainfall and does not
provide all the water needed but irrigation can
make up this deficiency
 The major source of irrigation water is rivers

 In areas which have seasonal shortage of rain

 In humid areas
 In this area the rainfall is normally adequate
 the need of irrigation is mainly to supplement the

supply of water received from precipitation

 as a safe guard against drought & to obtain
high crop yields
 Introduction…………………
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Importance of irrigation
 Choice of crops
 irrigation enables to grow cereals & high value crops such

as vegetables, and sugarcane.

 Growing high yielding varieties
 there is variety which require high amount of water than

ordinary varieties e.g Rice

 Multiple cropping
 It is possible that grow more than one crop in a year and

assures high crop production.

 Introduction……………………
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 Fertilizer use
 With assured irrigation, an effective use of manures and
fertilizers increase the yield.
 Use of implements and machinery
 Intensive cropping requires a big force of farm labor, so in
such situation implements and machinery are very useful.
 Timely agricultural operation
 In rain-fed farming since rain is uncertain and unevenly
distributed, agriculture operations are delayed and carried out
in improper way.
 Introduction…………………….
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 Crop productivity depends largely on timely
 Land preparation,
 Time of Sowing,
 Fertilizer application,
 weeding and other crop cultures.
 Adoption of useful cropping system
 Shallow and deep rooted crops with a proper sequence helps to

maintain the soil fertility and productivity at high level.

 Green manuring
 Provide more organic matter and to improve the soil fertility.

 Control of weed
 Pre-sowing irrigation is a good practice to control weeds.
 Introduction……………………..
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Scope of irrigation engineering
 Irrigation Engineering is not only confined to the
application of water to the land for raising crops. It
includes all aspects and problems extending from
the watershed to the agricultural fields.
 Deals with
 hydrology,
 river engineering ,
 design and construction of dams,
 weirs,
 canals and
 various other hydraulic and irrigation structures
 Introduction………………..
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 Also deals with

 surface and subsurface drainage system,
 soil reclamation,
 water-soil-crop relationships.

And other related sciences such as flood

control, hydropower, and inland navigation
are also studied in irrigation engineering.
 Aspect of irrigation engineering
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 Water resources and hydrology aspect
 To locate various water sources and to study the hydrology
of the region.
 This includes study of meteorology, precipitation, stream
flow, floods, river engineering, reservoirs and flood control.
The following information is required while designing
various irrigation structures.
 Quantity of water available at a reservoir site for storage
 Maximum discharge at a river site
 Reservoir capacity
 Quantity of ground water that can be exploited economically
 Aspect of irrigation engineering….
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 Engineering aspect
 Involves the development of a source of water for
irrigation and construction of various irrigation
structures.
 Dams and water power Engineering
 Diversion and Distribution structures such as weir, barrage etc
 Minor irrigation schemes (well, Tank / Pond, inundation
Irrigation).
 Ground water development
 Agricultural aspect- Involves irrigation practice and the
study of agricultural characteristics of the land.
 Management aspect
 Deals with successful implementation and efficient
management of engineering aspects, water distribution,
and agricultural works.
ADVANTAGES AND ILL- EFFECTS OF IRRIGATION
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Advantages of Irrigation:
There are various direct and indirect advantages of irrigation.
 Increase in food production: Irrigation helps in increasing
crop yields through controlled and timely supply of water to
the crop.
 Optimum benefits: optimal utilization of water is made
possible by irrigation. Optimum utilization implies obtaining
maximum crop yield with any amount of water. In other
words, yield will be smaller for any quantity lesser than or in
excess of optimum quantity.
 Elimination of mixed cropping: Mixed cropping is growing
two or more crops simultaneously in the same field. If the
weather condition is not suitable to one of the crops it may be
suitable for the other; and thus at least some yield is obtained.
 Advantages of irrigation………
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 Mixed cropping is generally not acceptable, because different
crops require different types of field preparations and different
types of manures, amount of water etc.
General prosperity: A Revenue return is sometimes quite high
and helps in all round development of the country.
Generation of hydroelectric power: cheaper power generation
can be obtained on objects primarily designed for irrigation
alone. Also falls on irrigation channels can be utilized to generate
electricity which may help in industrializing the rural area and so
in solving the problem of fuel shortage.
Domestic water supply: irrigation helps in augmenting the town
water supply where water is available with great difficulty. It also
provides water for swimming bathing, cattle drinking etc.
 Advantages of irrigation…………
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 Facilities of communication: Irrigation channels are generally
provided with embankments and inspection roads. These inspection
paths provide a good road way to the villagers for walking, cycling or
even motoring.
 In land navigation
Generally irrigation have the following advantages
helps to stabilize the farm economy
improve the quality of crops
the time of harvest can be more closely controlled
fertilizers placed in the soil are available at once to plants
protects certain high value crops from frost damage/high
temperature
increases the survival of transplanted crops
 Disadvantages of irrigation
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Disadvantages of irrigation
 Ill-effects occur only when the scheme is not properly
designed and implemented.
 The common disadvantages are
 Water logging
 Occurs when the water table reaches near the

root zones of the crops.

 Irrigation is complex and expensive in itself.
Some times cheaper water is to be provided at the
cost of the government and revenue returns are
low.
 Irrigation may result in colder and damper climate
causing outbreak of disease like malaria.
 Introduction…………
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Requirements for successful irrigation:

 Land Capability
 Irrigation should be confined to soils that are
capable of producing sustained high yields of
adapted crops.
 Adequate Water Supply
 A supply of water adequate to meet the needs of
the crops being irrigated must be available when
needed.
 Adequate Labor
 Irrigation requires more labor than rain-fed
agriculture.
 Introduction……………
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 Climate
 The climate is a very important factor in any
sort of cultivation.
 Adequate Capital
 Enough initial capital to install, operate and
maintain irrigation project is required.
 Others:
 Effective management of soil and water
 Introduction…………….
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Functions of Irrigation water in plant growth

 Adds water to the soil
 acts as a solvent for the nutrients
 supplies moisture which is essential for the life of
bacteria beneficial to the plant growth
 supplies moisture which is essential for the chemical
action within the plant, leading to its growth
 Some salt present in soil react to produce
nourishing food products only in the presence of
water
 Introduction……………
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 Cools the soil and the atmosphere and thus

makes more favorable environment for
healthy plant growth
 With controlled supplies, washes out or
dilutes salts in the soil
 Reduces the hazard of soil piping
 Softens tillage pans
 Introduction…………………
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Standards of Irrigation Water

Any water is not suitable for irrigation.
The contents of the soil, which is to be irrigated
influence the quality of water.
For example: water with a concentration of salts
 heavy clayey soil with a low permeability & plenty of
soluble salts will not tolerate but
 light sandy soil may tolerate.
The quality and quantity of salts and silts present
in the water depend on
 the nature of water source, and
 the soils and underground strata over which the water
flows.
 Introduction………….
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Types of impurities that make the

irrigation water unfit for the plant:
Sediment concentration in water
Total concentration of soluble salts in water
Proportion of sodium ions to other cations
Concentration of potentially toxic elements
present in water
Bicarbonate concentration as related to the
concentration of calcium plus magnesium
Bacterial contamination
 Introduction……………
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Effects of these impurities

 Sediment:
 its effect depends upon the type of irrigated
land
 increases siltation and maintenance costs in

irrigation canals
 In general ground water or surface water from

reservoirs, etc does not have sufficient

sediment to cause any serious problems in
irrigation.
 Introduction…………..
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 Total concentration of soluble salts:

Salinity is accumulation of salts in a soil due
to:
 Irrigation water
 Changes in land use (which can affect the area’s
natural salinity)
 Capillary rise of the ground water table.
 excessive quantities of salts,
 reduce osmotic activities of the plants and
 may prevent adequate aeration
 effect of salts on plant growth depends largely
upon the total amount of salts in the soil solution.
 Introduction…………….
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 Potentially toxic elements:

Elements like Boron, Selenium, etc may be
toxic to plants.
Concentration of Boron exceeding
 0.3 PPM may be toxic to certain plants.
 >0.5 PPM dangerous to nuts, citrus fruits.
 Even for the most tolerant crops its

concentration should not exceed 4 PPM .

 Types of irrigation
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Irrigation
Method

Surface Sub-surface Pressurized

Irrigation Irrigation Irrigation

Sprinkle
Furrow Natural r

Border Artificial Drip/

Trickle
Check
basin
 Problems in Irrigation Development
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Irrigation plays a significant role in the agricultural development of the
country but there are still enormous constraints in its development.
Lack of mapping data:
 Mapping information not available at a scale suitable for detailed
studies of irrigation areas, dam sites, etc.
 Similarly, data related to soils are not found in sufficient detail to all
potential areas.
Lack of Hydrologic Data:
 The collection of hydro meteorological information are not
adequate.
 River gauges are mostly available for major rivers and bigger
tributaries.
Lack of resources:
 The level of skilled manpower available in the country is not
adequate to carry out the number of projects being demanded by the
regions.
 Inadequacy in construction capability due to inadequate machinery,
equipment and spare parts.
 Cont………………..
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Lack of Finance:
 Despite ambition plan of the government, sources of finance
for implementing the planned irrigation projects is expected
from foreign aid and loans.
Inadequate research undertakings in the area:
So far, little emphasis for irrigation in agricultural research.
Operation and Maintenance:
 Institutional water operation and management is in a very
poor condition with regard to the administration of supply,
maintenance and repair of the networks due to lack of trained
manpower, sufficient maintenance tools and equipment.
Irrigation history and Development
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Irrigation has been practiced in some parts of the world for
several thousands of years.
 the Tigris-Euphrates valley 6000 years ago
 India & the Far-East for nearly 5000 years
 Today, 16% of the total cultivated land in the world (over 200
million hectare) is irrigated
Irrigation in Ethiopia
 Agricultural sector - contributes about 40 percent of the GDP
and employs 80 percent of the labor force
 virtually all food crops come from rain fed agriculture
 Generally, 75% of the rain fall is concentrated in a period of 3
to 4 months
Drought and famine are common phenomena in Ethiopia.
In the four and half decades since the 1950’s, there have been 13
events of drought.
The probability of a drought shock in Ethiopia is as high as 3 out
of 10 years.
 Cont…………….
These drought and famine are30mainly due to failure of rain fall
both in amount and variation in time.
 Nowadays, highly variable rainfall in spatial and temporal scales
make farming a risky business
Government policy –
Transformation and intensification of agricultural sector.
Optimal development of water resources of the country
Water resource of the country:
Surface water is about 112 billion m3
Ground water potential is about 2.6 billion m3
One of the fundamental water resource development options so as
to transform the agricultural sector is irrigation development.
Why? Because
Irrigation development provides the best insurance against
weather-induced fluctuation in total agricultural production.
It is the only way in which we can make our agriculture
sustainable, competitive and profitable.
 Cont……………….
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• Cognizant of this fact irrigation is now a national issue and is
given a priority to meet the following objectives.
• To increase production and supply of food crops both
quantitatively and qualitatively so that the population will be fed
adequately.
• To improve the quality of life of rural population through the
generation of higher incomes and reduction of poverty.
• To promote higher standards of nutrition and health, greater equity
progress in education and personal freedom.
• To increase and diversify the production of raw materials for
industry and to promote linkage with the industrial sector
• To increase and diversify production for export and maximize the
country’s foreign exchange earnings from agriculture
• To make agriculture the driving force for economic development
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Irrigation is an old art practice in Ethiopia but was
Traditional
Modern irrigation started at the beginnings of 1960’s
at the Middle Awash Valley
 Potential irrigable land of the country = 3.7 Mha
 At present, actually irrigated = 0.276 Mha
 Irrigation projects –
small scale (<200ha)
medium scale (200ha < A < 3000ha)
large scale (>3000ha)
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Current Irrigation Development Plan:
Development 20,000ha at Kassem for expansion of Methara
sugar factory farm.
Large scale project – 60,000ha of land at Tendhao underway
Medium Scale project – Koga Irrigation project (Near Bahir Dar)
Final Detail Design:
Ziway Pressurized Irrigation project (15500ha)
Raya Pressurized Irrigation project (18000ha)
Final feasibility studies at:
Gode for about 3000ha
Dedessa for more than 10,000ha
Humera for about 20,000 to 40,000ha
Wolenchiti for about 15,000ha
Bilate for more than 5000ha
Gidabo for more than 5000ha
Tana lake watersheds (megech, Rib etc
Sugar industry 300, 000 ha
Flower companies – Oromia, south